General Norman Johnson (23 May 1943, Norfolk, VA – 13 Oct 2010, Atlanta, GA), had a hit as the lead singer of The Showmen, in the early '60s, with the New Orleans rock'n'roll anthem It Will Stand.
When Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown, in 1967, to establish their own Invictus/Hot Wax group of labels, they teamed-up Johnson with Eddie Custis, Danny Woods &, Canadian born, Harrison Kennedy - as the new company's flagship act - under the appropriate name 'Chairmen of the Board'. Dozier explained, according to Songfacts: "We called them that because of their extraordinary talents. They each played several instruments, sang and wrote songs as well." Custis left the group after their second album.
Though they all had a turn at lead vocals, it was General Johnson's quirky hiccup-laden style and his songwriting which became increasingly showcased, wit hthe group selling a million plus copies of "Give Me Just A Little More Time". Chairmen of the Board also scored with "You've Got Me Dangling On A String", "Pay To the Piper", "Everything's Tuesday", "Working On A Building Of Love", "Elmo James", "Finders Keepers", and the original version of "Patches", a memorable ballad later covered with great success by Clarence Carter.
Kennedy, Woods and Johnson all went on to cut solo albums of varying quality, whilst Johnson wrote and produced (with Greg Perry) for other Invictus/Hot Wax acts, notably Honey Cone. Harrison having left, Johnson and Woods toured the UK in 1976 with six musicians as "Chairmen of the Board", but were not as successful as before. The act was broken up immediately afterwards, Johnson having signed for Arista Records as a solo artist.
In 1978, Johnson reformed the Chairmen of the Board. In 1980, the new Chairmen founded Surfside Records, for which the group records for to this day.
The Chairmen of the Board (General Johnson, Danny Woods and Ken Knox) were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
General Johnson continued to perform with Woods and Knox as the "Chairmen of the Board" until his death from lung cancer in 2010.
In 2012, Chairmen of the Board released a single, "You", which was written and produced by Knox.
In 2013, former member Harrison Kennedy was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the "Acoustic Artist" category.
Danny Woods died in January 2018.
Didn’t We
Chairmen Of The Board Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't we?
This time we almost made some sense of it
Didn't we?
This time I had the answer, right here in my hand
Then I touched it and it had turned to sand
This time we almost sang our song in tune
This time we almost made it, made it to the moon
Didn't we, love?
This time we almost made our poem rhyme
This time we almost made that long hard climb
Didn't we almost make it?
Didn't we almost make it?
Didn't we almost make it this time?
The lyrics to "Didn't We" by Chairmen Of The Board reflect a sense of longing and disappointment in a failing relationship. The singer acknowledges that this time, they almost managed to make things work, to find a sense of understanding and coherence between them. They believed they had the solution, the answer to their problems, but when they reached out to grasp it, it slipped away, turning into nothing but sand.
The song continues with comparisons to music and art. They almost sang their song in tune, indicating that they were so close to being in harmony with each other, but ultimately fell short. They almost reached the moon, a symbol of achieving something extraordinary, but were unable to make it. Similarly, they almost made their poem rhyme, signifying the struggle to find a balance in their relationship. The lyrics express the feeling of being on the brink of success, of almost making it, but ultimately falling short.
The repetition of the line "Didn't we almost make it?" emphasizes the bittersweet nature of their almost-success. It reflects on missed opportunities and the frustration that comes with coming close to achieving something, only to have it slip away at the last moment. The lyrics capture a sense of regret, questioning what could have been if they had just managed to bridge the gap between them.
Line by Line Meaning
This time we almost made the pieces fit
We came so close to finding the right solution or making everything work harmoniously, didn't we?
Didn't we?
Did we not?
This time we almost made some sense of it
Almost, we were able to understand or make sense of the situation, didn't we?
Didn't we?
Did we not?
This time I had the answer, right here in my hand
I believed I had the solution or the key right within my grasp this time
Then I touched it and it had turned to sand
However, when I reached out to it, it crumbled away or became worthless
This time we almost sang our song in tune
We came so close to singing our song perfectly in harmony, love
Didn't we, love?
Did we not, my love?
This time we almost made it, made it to the moon
Almost, we achieved great success or reached our highest goal, love
Didn't we, love?
Did we not, my love?
This time we almost made our poem rhyme
Almost, we managed to create a poetic structure or make our words flow rhythmically
This time we almost made that long hard climb
Almost, we were able to overcome significant challenges or hurdles
Didn't we almost make it?
Did we not come so close to succeeding?
Didn't we almost make it?
Did we not come so close to succeeding?
Didn't we almost make it this time?
Did we not come so close to succeeding this time?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jimmy L Webb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind